


Al'torinnian Cultural Packet

by Dreamwind



Series: Babysitter Bones [2]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series
Genre: Alien Biology, Alien Culture, Alien Language, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2015-01-25
Packaged: 2018-03-09 01:58:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3232004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamwind/pseuds/Dreamwind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All the information on the original alien species referenced in the fic Babbysitter Bones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cultural Brief

**Species:** Al’torinnian  
**FSE translation:** People of the Deity (In the case of not specifying Mother or Father the word Deity refers to both.)  
**Home World:** Anu'Toral  
**FSE translation:** Hearth of the People  
**Common Language:** Yanatara  
**Religious Language:** Niantara  
**Physiology:** Humanoid  
**Diet:** Omnivorous  
**Habitat:** The Al'torinnians live on a lush tropical plant. The planet has two distinct season, the winter season when temperatures drop and the majority of snow falls on the mountainous regions, and the spring season which is when the heaviest rains fall and flooding is common. The population is split so that one race of Al'torinnians live above ground in cities built in the massive canopy of the rainforests, this race is referred to as Kelxuiru, or Underlight. The second race lives in cities built in massive, extended underground caverns further to the northern and southern poles where the larger mountains are. They are called the Kelxueru, or Underdark. These race names are also used to reference the location of their cities. An example would be Kelxueru Maher, the largest city found in underground in the northern pole.  
**Genders:** The Al’torinnian species have two distinct genders. The two genders are ‘male’ (Ten’kha) and ‘female’ (Ma’lah). Males are much like they are among humans and other humanoid species, the female is more like a hermaphrodite or a female hyena. The female reproductive organs are only fertile during a heat cycle which occurs approximately every 6 months.  
**Life Span:** The average Al’torinnian life span is longer than that of a human – approximately 60% longer – though they mature more rapidly and then age more slowly after reaching sexual maturity.  
**Special Abilities:** The Al’torinnians are a highly telepathic species, though they are very controlled in how they use their abilities and on who. Adult Al’torinnians rarely speak telepathically to people who are not in their immediate family group. Children have far less control of their abilities and until they are nearly twelve Earth years old will rarely speak verbally. Some Al’torinnians have even been found to have telekinetic abilities that far exceed anything previously recorded by Federation scientists. Another facet of their biology is that they have enhanced senses of smell and hearing in the Kelxuiru, and enhanced sight and smell among the Kelxueru.  
**Description:** The first race of Al’torinnians, the Kelxuiru, have skin that is smooth and comes in shades of pale green and pale blue accentuated with slightly darker colored stripes or spots. The second race, the Kelxueru, the ones who primarily live underground, have the same smooth hairless skin, but their skin comes in shades of gray and dark blue accentuated with slightly darker colored stripes or spots. Both races have bodies with feline-like features such as long sweeping tails, pointed ears and triangular faces with flat bifurcated noses, all framed with large hypnotically golden, red, violet, or teal colored eyes. The also have bioluminescent markings on the two small curving horns on their foreheads. The bioluminescent markings aid in identification, mood display, and are at their brightest when the Al’torinnians are using their psychic abilities. The bioluminescent marking are brighter and more prevalent in the second race than in the first race, whose circulatory marking are not visible in daylight. The ears are long and arrow shaped, and are highly flexible. They can move about on the head in a manner similar to a cats, allowing them to better pin-point the location of a sound. They are also very flexible, being able to shift and move in a manner somewhat similar to a felines.  
      The hair of the Al’torinnian is very smooth and fine, the texture having been compared to silk by several other alien races. The coloration of their hair is primarily white or black, though you can find variations of color in shades of pale blonde, and bright red. The Al’torinnians appear to have no other body hair, with the exception of eyelashes and eyebrows. This is believed to have occurred as a form of sexual attraction between the genders.

       The waist is narrow and elongated and the body slender. The males the shoulders are wider than their narrow hips, much like a human males. In females the hips are more rounded causing their shoulders to be slightly wider as well, though full males still have the widest shoulders. The average male is approximately 7 feet tall; females and omegas being closer to 6 feet tall due possibly to evolutionary "size" dimorphism.They also have roughly four times the strength of the average human due to the nature of their bones and muscles structures.  
**Mating Customs:** The Al’torinnians mate for life, though that does not mean they are monogamous. They typically marry in trades, two males to every females. This is in part due to the fact that the number of females is low currently since a plague 100 years ago nearly wiped out all the females of the species. The mechanics of reproduction are similar to that of humans and other Terran mammals. Cultural anthropologists believe that when an appropriate mate has been selected, the male and/or female will have an Elder of each family create a telepathic bond between the mating pair that will last a lifetime. The intertwining of minds in forming the bond is both highly erotic and profoundly spiritual, but does not in itself lead to reproduction.  
     Among bondmates, the mating bond is typically formed during the females heat cycle. In the clans that closely follow tradition the bonding ceremony is followed by the pairs first mating. This mating is done before the Elders who created the mating bond and is only considered to be legally completed once the mating has been finished, even if conception has not take place. In some of the more progressive clans the first mating is only “witnessed” by the Elders vocally, where the Elders would be seated outside the mating chamber to guard the entrance until the pair is done, rather than be seated in the room where the mating is taking place.  
     Females are self-lubricating and have the ability to become pregnant during their heat cycle. The Females heat cycle comes every 6 months and lasts for 5 to 7 days on average, though the change in pheromones that herald the beginning of a heat cycle may show as early as two weeks prior to the female actually becoming fertile.  
     The Al’torinnian penis is retracted inside the body, only extending out to urinate or while becoming erect for mating. The Al’torinnian have a baculum, a bone inside their penis, that aids sexual intercourse by maintaining sufficient stiffness during sexual penetration. The Males penis is on average 10 inches in length, while an females is closer to 7 inches in length. For both males and females the penis is a purple shade fading into a pink shade towards the tip, and are curved, with three small fleshy barbs in a horizontal line just under the mushroom-like crown. One difference between a male and an female penis if that a female Al’torinnian does not form a knot when mating, unlike the male Al’torinnian who will form a knot at the base of his penis when mating. This knot can last for over an hour when the Female that the Male is mating with is fertile. The knot will only form if the mating partner is producing the proper hormones, which occur only during their fertile period.  
**Names:** The Al’torinnians have three names. They have a personal name, a family name (which follows the matrilineal family line), and a clan name. When first introducing themselves to someone new the Al’torinnians will identify themselves by all three names, stating clan first, then family, and lastly the personal name. When addressing them one should always address them by the clan name the family name, unless given specific permission to address them by their personal name.  
     The personal name is typically used only by close family, friends and spouses. A persons personal name holds great significance to the Al’torinnians and many still believe that someone can gain control of a person if they know the persons true, or personal, name. The family name always comes down from the female or omega parents line, except in certain instances where the female or omega has committed a grave crime. In such causes the child will take the fathers family name. A matrilineal family name is always started with N' and the name, an example is N'Tres, where the N shows the Matrilineal nature of the name and the Tres is the actual family name. If the child takes the patrilineal name it would be changed to L'Tres, the L denoting it as a patrilineal family name.  
     The clan name is a slightly more complex issue as a child can take the clan name of either parent. Traditionally the child would take the clan name of the larger or more powerful clan. But a child can also take the clan name of the other parent for political reasons, or to continue on the clan in the rare case of the child being the last living member of the clan.  
     When two Al’torinnians marry the two will keep their own family names, but one will take on the other spouses clan name. Like a child typically the spouse from the lesser clan will adopt the clan name of the spouse with the larger, more prestigious clan name. How the spouse from the larger clan can choose to take on the clan name of the spouses lesser clan.  
     The clan names will also often reference if race of the clan. If the clan descended from a line native to the race living above ground (Kelxuiru) the clan name will use the word Iru (Light) as part of the clan name. If the clan descends from a line native to the race living under ground (Kelxueru) the clan name will use the word Eru (Dark) as part of the clan name.


	2. Yanatara to Federation Standard English (FSE)

**Introduction**

     Yanatara is the common language of the Al’Torinnian people of the planet Anu’Toral, a recent addition to the Federation. The planet Anu’Toral, while maintaining an advanced technology, is still rich in old traditions and religious belief. The old traditions and religion are reflected in the Al’Torinnian language.  
     The Al’Torinnians have two languages, Yanatara, or the common language spoken by everyone, and Ninatara, the language used by the priests and priestess. The language taught in this guide is the principal dialect, or common language, of the planet Anu’Toral.

 

**Part 1: Pronunciation**

     The Al’Torinnian vowels are pronounced as follows:

**a** as the _a_ in _awesome_

**ai** as in _ice_

**i** as in _police_

**au** as _ow_ in _now_

**u** as the _double oo_ in _soon_

**ei** as _a_ in _face_

**e** as the sound of _a_ in _same_

**oi** as _oy_ in _boy_

**o** as in _old_

     The Yanatara consonants are, in most cases, pronounced as they are in FSE with the exception of x which is pronounced as the z in FSE.

 

** Part 2: Sentence Structure **

     In a Yanatara sentence or clause, the verb is placed at the end, and its grammatical order is subject + object + verb, so that instead of saying

_I bought a new hat._

  
     the Al’Torinnian would say:

  
_I a new hat bought. (Je le ru laxa kalifi.)_

 

** Part 3: Plurals and Negatives **

     In Yanatara to make a word plural you would add the preposition Ta to the end of the word, except when referring to people. See example below:

_**Hat** (singular) Laxa           **Hat** (pular) Laxata_

     In Yanatara to make a word a negative you would add the preposition ‘Nar to the end of the word. See example below:

_**Do**    Isha       **Do Not**    Isha’nar _

_**Did**   Isho       **Did Not**   Isho’nar_

 

** Part 4: Verbs **

     A verb, from the Latin verbum meaning word, is a word that in syntax conveys an action (bring, read, walk, run, learn), an occurrence (happen, become), or a state of being (be, exist, stand).

_**Bring**    Shadu       **Read**   Eitorji       **Write**     Tarafa       **Learn**   Pholem _

_**Walk**    Chem       **Run**  Chemti     **Dance**    Libreen       **Sing**      Lasha _

_**Happen**   Vensu       **Become**   Ichel     **Do**    Isha     **Did**    Isho_

     Yanatara like many languages with SOV word order, inflects verbs for tense-aspect-mood, as well as other categories such as negation, but shows absolutely no agreement with the subject - it is a strictly dependent-marking language. Dependent marking in Yanatara is visible, however, in a few constellations: when a singular/plural noun demands the singular/plural form of the demonstrative determiner this/these or that/those and when a verb or preposition demands the subject or object form of a personal pronoun, e.g. I/me, he/him, she/her, they/them.

     Yanatara verb conjugation is the same for all subjects, first person ("I", "we"), second person ("you") and third person ("he/she/it" and "they"), singular and plural.

_**He**   Ten       **Him**   Tan       **She**   Ma       **Her**   Mai       **I**     Je       **Me**   Jen _

_**They**   Ja     **Them**   Jo       **We**     Tsu       **You**    Ju         **It**    Da_

 

** Part 5: Gender and Family **

     The Al’Torinnians have three genders and this complexity can be seen in the Yanatara language. They have a complex series of words that have the same meaning but are gender specific. The Omega gender has it’s own gender word, but uses the female words when referencing a person.

_**Male**                           Ten’kha     **Female**                  Ma’lah       **Omega**   Ten’lah _

_**He**                              Ten            **She**                        Ma _

_**Boy**                            Ten’lao       **Girl**                        Ma’lah _

_**Man**                           Ten're        **Woman**                  Ma’re _

_**Brother (Younger)**    Sa'lao        **Sister (Younger)** Sa’lah _

_**Brother (Older)**        Ri'lao         **Sister (Older)**  Ri’lah _

_**Cousin (male)**         Koh'lao      **Cousin (female)**   Koh'lah _

_**Father**                      Ta’kha       **Mother**                   Ka’sho _

_**Uncle**                       So'kha       **Aunt**                      So'sho _

_**Grandfather**            Ri’kha        **Grandmother**        Ri’sho_

 

** Part 6: Honorifics **

     In polite speech, when referring to certain persons or things, respect is indicated by prefixing the phonetic should of Ko (esteemed) to the noun indicating the esteemed object. Below are a few examples:

_**Priest**                          Xauji             **Ambassador**                       Tsumano_

_**Esteemed Priest**         Ko’Xauji         **Esteemed Ambassador**       Ko’Tsumano  
_

_**Priestess**                    Xauju             **Doctor**                                Futisha  
_

_**Esteemed Priestess**   Ko’Xauju        **Esteemed Doctor**               Ko’Futisha_

_**Captain**                       Xailan           **Ancestor**                            Chamtai_

_**Esteemed Captain**     Ko’Xailan       **Esteemed Ancestor**            Ko’Chamtai_

 

** Part 7: Greetings **

     Among the Al’Torinnan there are several types of greetings. These greetings can be used with anyone, though you must remember that ‘Hello’ is very informal and is only used by close friends and family. It would be considered rude to use that greeting when meeting a new person, or in a formal setting.

_**Hello**                  Eiflem             **Good-bye**              Moi Hindrara _

_**Good Morning**    Moi Tsuni        **Good Afternoon**    Moi Kenden _

_**Good Evening**    Moi Anmi         **Good Night**           Moi Oseru_

     A popular A’Torinnian expression used instead of saying good-bye is: “Fair Winds and Long Life.” This saying holds some ties to the main Al’Torinnian religion, though it is not a religious saying. It translates as:

_Yau nasha ei veneur tenderu._

     Whenever you greet someone, or say goodbye, you should first rest your forehead against theirs, place your right hand on the side of their neck just below the jaw, close your eyes and take one deep breath. After the breath has been expelled both people can open their eyes, and take a step back, before saying the greeting.

 

** Part 8: Common Expressions **

     In a formal introduction you list your clan name followed by the family name, then personal name, followed lastly by your title. Here is an example of a formal introduction:

**I am Esteemed Doctor Ya’Eruquiro N’Tres Alquirrina.**

_Ya’Eruquiro N’Tres Alquirrina Ko’Futisha je lu._

**I am Captain James Kirk of Starfleet.**

_Starfleet tor Kirk James Ko'Xailan je lu._

In an informal introduction you need only introduce yourself by your personal name. This should only be done in an informal setting, and usually it occurs when someone else introduces you to a friend or family member of theirs that they wish you to form close ties with.

_**Name**   Namai       **Friend**   Dendai       **This**   Xa       **My**   Jen'r       **Your**   Ju'r       **Is**   Tel_

_**My name is James.**             James Jen’r namai tel. _

_**Your name is James.**         James Ju’r namai tel._

_**This is my friend James.**    Xa James jen’r dendai tel_

     One of the most important expressions for a outworlder to know, other than the formal introduction, is how to ask if someone speaks FSE, or to let them know if you speak Yanatara.

_**Speak**    Tarasu        **Understand**    Usha        **Do**    Isha        **Do Not**    Isha’nar_

_**Do you speak English?** Ju English tarasu isha? _

_**I understand English.**                   Je English usha. _

_**Do you speak Yanatara?**               Ju Yanatara tarasu isha? _

_**Yes, I speak Yanatara.** Na, Je Yanatara tarasu. _

_**No, I do not speak Yanatara.** Ne, Je Yanatara tarasi isha’nar. _

_**I do not understand Yanatara.** Je Yanatrara usha isha’nar._

 

 


End file.
